.TOPIC:                                           
Messaging Functions

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-1


         ͻ
          CHAPTER 6 ANNEX A      MESSAGING FUNCTIONS                     
         ͼ

                The default VBBS setup places all communications functions
         in the Main Menu.  As stated earlier, separate menu displays for
         messaging and/or E-mail (for instance) may easily be customized
         to present whatever type of interface the sysop wishes.  Again,
         see "Customizing VBBS" for more information.


         Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Messaging
         

         [L] List Messages              Lists message bases in current
                                         topic area, then prompts user
                                         to enter a sub, change topics,
                                         or quit.
         [P] Post Message               Post a message in the current
                                         message base.
         [N] New Message Scan           Allows user to scan all new mes-
                                         sages in configured bases.
         [R] Read Sequential            Read messages in current base se-
                                         quentially.
         [S] Scan Brief                 Scans posts in current base in
                                         groups of 10, showing the mes-
                                         sage number, author, and subject.
         [J] Join/Ignore Bases          Allows users to set up bases to
                                         ignore or mark for scanning.
         [>] Next Base                  Move to the next message base in
                                         sequence; also activated by [+].
                                         Note that a user moving through
                                         three consecutive bases using
                                         [+] may actually activate his or
                                         her modem's hangup string.
         [<] Previous Base              Move to previous base; also acti-
                                         vated by [-].
         [#] Change to Base #           Change to a particular message
                                         base by entering its number.
         [$] Change Topic               Lists available topic areas, then
                                         asks user which one to go to.


            SETTING UP TOPIC AREAS
            


                   Topic areas are used by VBBS to join databases together
           into more manageable groups for sysops and users.  Both message
           databases and file databases can be linked together into
           Database Topic Groups.  By running VCONFIG and choosing option
           3. Database Configuration, you will see the following menu:

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-2

                          ĴTypeĿ
                                 Message Bases          
                                 File Directories       
                                 Custom Databases       
                                 Sort Configuration     
                                 Compile Network Info   
                          

           VBBS comes preconfigured with three main Database Topic Groups
           already set up: Message Bases, Files Directories, and Custom
           Databases.  Topic Groups are identified by using a letter,
           number, or symbol from ascii characters 33 to 255.  Thus, letter
           A is already used for the Message Bases, letter F is used for
           File Directories, and letter O was designated for the Custom
           Databases.  Thus, many characters are available after VBBS
           is installed for the sysop to use for adding other Database
           Topic Groups. These are called DBGroup Identifiers.


           Adding Topics for Message Bases
           

                To add another Topic Group to be used for messages, simply
           highlight Message Bases on the Type menu above, and press the
           Return key.  You will then see the following menu:

                ĴSelect GroupĿ
                 A - Main                                         
                                                                  
                                                                  
                [Up ][Dwn][Enter]=Select[F1]=SubMenu[Esc]=Quit
                 [Arw] [Arw]

           Pressing F1 will bring up the SubMenu:

                        ĴF1 Sub-MenuĿ
                            Add New Database Group    
                            Delete Database Group     
                            Edit Topic Name           
                        

           Highlighting "Add New Database Group" here will prompt you for
           a topic letter. Choose an unused letter from A-Z, enter the
           name of the Database Topic Group you would like users to see,
           and press Return.

           -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Be sure to use a unique letter for each
                                 topic group you add since inadvertently
                                 reusing a letter will cause the existing
                                 databases to be linked to the new topic
                                 you have created, as well as the existing
                                 topic.

           To add message bases to the new Topic Group you have created,
           simply choose the new topic letter now listed on the Select
           Group menu and add normally as outlined in the "Configuring
           and Editing Databases in VCONFIG" section of this manual.

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-3

           -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Be aware that each Database Topic Group
                                 set up may contain a maximum of 100
                                 databases. Each database itself may hold
                                 up to 32000 entries.


           Creating Topics for File Directories
           
           To add new topics for use by file directories, the same
           procedure is followed, except that on the Type menu above,
           you must select File Directories.

                        ͻ      Before setting up new topic areas, try
                        ͼ      to plan ahead and divide the existing
                                 characters between message areas and file
                                 areas.  Since the characters are shared
                                 between both types, a little planning
                                 will save you some reshuffling later on.

           Similar to the above, Custom Databases may also be set up. These
           are treated as message type databases in formatting and are
           used mainly in conjuction with specialized scripts to add, for
           example, a quote of the day, random logoff screens, etc.


           Deleting Topics
           
           To delete Database Topic Groups, again the F1 Sub-Menu allows
           for this; however, you should delete each individual database
           first if it is no longer desired.

           -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Deleting a Database Topic Group does not
                                 automatically delete the databases which
                                 belong to it.


           Moving Databases to Different Topic Areas
           
           Once databases are created within a Database Topic Group, it is
           possible to easily move them to a different existing topic area.
           This is accomplished by editing the information for the database
           entry itself.  Option Z) DB Group:  in each database can be
           changed at any time to change a database to another topic.


           --> IMPORTANT NOTE:   After adding, deleting, or moving any
                                 Database Topic Groups, you must run the
                                 Sort Configuration and Compile Network
                                 Info options on the Type menu for any of
                                 the changes to take effect.

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 6-A-4

         VFSE Full-Screen Editor
         

                VBBS comes with both a standard line editor and a powerful
         built-in full-screen editor.  The full-screen editor features 36
         text color choices which are enabled by hitting [Ctrl-P], then a
         number from 0 to 9 or a letter from A to Z.  [Ctrl-P] followed by
         a question mark will display a list of color choices.  Other con-
         trol-key options exist for various other functions including cur-
         sor movement, line feeds, line and character deletes, cut-and-
         paste, etc.  These commands may be found in the editor help-file
         by pressing [Ctrl-Z].
                On the top line above the workspace, the user is shown
         the message or E-mail title, the current line number, and the
         insert/overwrite status.  The editor starts in OVR (overwrite)
         mode and can easily be toggled to INS (insert) mode by using
         either the Insert key or [Ctrl-O].
                The VFSE allows user to upload previously-prepared text
         at any time.  Pressing the slash [/] key and supplying a file
         name at the prompt inserts the prepared text into the workspace.
         This is a neat and efficient way for the sysop to create or edit
         .MNU-type menus, system taglines (see "System Taglines" for more 
         information), bulletins, or whatever.
                The full-screen editor is an ANSI-based editor; users who
         have their ANSI preference enabled should be encouraged to use
         the FSE for its superior features.

         Message Quoting
         

                VBBS features advanced message quoting in messages and in
         E-mail.  Users who reply to posts or E-mail are asked whether
         they wish to quote from the post or E-mail to which they're re-
         plying.  If the user chooses "yes", then a special screen will
         appear, allowing him or her to choose which lines are to be quo-
         ted in the reply.  The user is prompted at each line of the mes-
         sage whether to 

                [A]dd that line into the quote workspace,
                [S]kip that line and advance to the next, jump to the
                [N]ext portion of the original message, 
                [R]estart the quoting process (useful in case of an 
                    accidental skipped line), or 
                [Q]uit from the quote workspace altogether.

         There is a 20-line limit on the amount of previous text that may
         be quoted; upon reaching the 20th line, the quoter automatically
         returns the user to the editor workspace.  The quoted lines are
         prefaced with a bright green ">" symbol.


                                          VBBS 6.12 Documentation --  6-A-5

         ͻ    There is a definite "art" to effective quoting.  Beginners
         ͼ    sometimes quote more of the original message than is ne-
                cessary, but this decreases with practice, especially in
                networked message bases.  Note that quoted lines may be
                edited to remove extraneous words or phrases; this can
                help the quoter "zero in" on the essence of the quote.


         Message Threading
         

                In addition to quoting, message "threading" exists in all
         message bases.  This allows the user to search for the original
         message in a "thread" (line of discussion) and all replies to
         that message.  It should be noted that the threader searches on
         the title field of the message; if the title has been changed by
         someone replying to the message, the threader will not pick it
         up as a reply.

         ͻ    In order to facilitate threading on network subs, users
         ͼ    and sysops are being encouraged to make titles as descrip-
                tive of the contents as possible; one- or two-word titles
                like "YO!", "Hmmm...", "Why don't...", and the like are
                being discouraged.  Users replying within the context of
                a particular message thread should not change the working
                title if they want it to be included in a thread; if they
                are digressing, changing the subject, or starting a new
                thread, they should come up with a new title.

         Message Search
         

                VBBS messages may be searched in two ways.  Pressing [S]
         from the message submenu prompt will display the next 10 messages
         in sequence.  Following that, pressing [R] will bring up a
         "search" prompt that allows the user to search the message data-
         base by title.

         ͻ    The [S]can feature is one of the most useful tools a sysop
         ͼ    has, especially if her board carries a lot of active net-
                worked message bases.  Scanning titles takes MUCH less
                time than reading EVERY message; this is another argument
                in favor of descriptive message titles.

         Message Sub Validation
         

                Each message base may be assigned a "requires validation"
         status from within the DATABASE Configuration of VCONFIG.  This
         is to allow the sysop a degree of control over what goes out
         onto a network from his system.  Some network subs require net 
         validation to be set to "on"; when subscribing to a "secured" 
         sub, the subscribing sysop should inquire about this.
                
         ͻ    One caveat about message sub validation:  sysops some-
         ͼ    times forget to validate the messages, resulting in a
                pileup of messages, especially on active subs.


                                          VBBS 6.12 Documentation --  6-A-6


         Message Sub Moderators
         

                Moderators, sub-ops, and co-sysops can be very useful for
         any BBS.  In local messaging areas, sub-ops can be invaluable as
         discussion leaders, often causing a far greater user participa-
         tion in subs than if those subs were without a moderator.  As
         mentioned above, some network subs require net validation, and 
         often a sysop may not have the time each day to validate the 
         messages in those subs.  In that case, a sub-op can be very use-
         ful in performing those duties for the sysop.  

                To designate a user as moderator for a particular sub,
         go into VCONFIG and enter his or her user number in the "Data-
         base Co-sysop" field for that sub.


         Messaging Sub-Menu
         

                While reading messages, a user has several options that
         are presented at each message prompt.  These are hard-coded into
         VBBS, so altering them requires a source-code modification.

         [Enter] Next Message           Read the next message.  
           [R]   Reply to Message       Post a public reply to the cur-
                                         rent message.
           [A]   Read Message Again     Re-read the current message.
           [D]   Delete Message         Delete the current message.
          [###]  Jump to Number ###     Entering a number will take you
                                         to that message number.
           [S]   Scan Next 10 Mes-      Show the titles of the next 10
                 sages                   messages.  This is a very use-
                                         ful feature, especially on ac-
                                         tive message bases.
           [B]   Bypass Sub (Quick      If you're doing a quick-scan, [N]
                  Scan)                  from the main menu, this will
                                         move you to the next sub with-
                                         out having to read all the mes-
                                         sages in the current sub.  If
                                         you find yourself using this
                                         option a lot, you might consider
                                         using the [J]oin/Ignore Bases
                                         command to configure your new-
                                         message scan.
           [E]   Send E-mail Reply      Send a private E-mail to the au-
                                         thor of the current message.
                                         His/her network address is in
                                         the message header.
           [Z]   Non-Stop               Allows a user to read messages
                                         without stopping.
           [Q]   Quit Reading Mes-      Returns to the Communications
                 sages                   Menu.

                                          VBBS 6.12 Documentation --  6-A-7

           [+]   Thread Forward         Search for replies to current
                                         message (if any).  Quite use-
                                         ful in eliminating redundant
                                         replies; if someone's asking
                                         a question, use this to check
                                         to see whether someone else
                                         has already answered it to
                                         your satisfaction.
           [-]   Thread Backward        Search for the original post that
                                         prompted the reply you're rea-
                                         ding now (if any).
          Sysop 

           [X]   Extract Text           Allows sysop to extract the text
                                         of a message for later reading
                                         or printing.  Sysop is prompted
                                         for a filename (.PST is a good
                                         extension to use, as it won't
                                         be confused with .TXT files).
                                         Sysops beware:  liberal use of
                                         this function can greatly bloat
                                         your Main VBBS directory!  :-)
           [M]   Move Message           Moves message to a different sub.
                                         Useful for combatting off-topic
                                         posts, or for bringing in rele-
                                         vant posts from other subs.
                                         

           [P]   Toggle Permanent       Toggles current message between
                                         permanent/non-permanent.  This
                                         is quite useful in making the
                                         first message of a sub a "sub
                                         rules/policies" post.

         A word on message threading:  if a thread-search fails to find an
         original or a reply, it doesn't mean there ISN'T one; the thread
         function searches by TITLE.  If someone has entered a related
         message under a different title, it will not show up as relating
         to the current thread.

